Autism Awareness Day 2018

The Rotary Club of Scarborough has been working closely with Professor Andrew Whitehouse to create a greater awareness of autism in the community by holding an annual Autism Awareness Day function which seeks to bring together the research , scientific and medical specialists and those families living with autism , in a forum designed to assist families and give a greater understanding of autism .

Autism is a complex neurobiological condition with difficulties in communication , social ability and repetitive behaviours or restricted interests .

Symptoms range from mild to severe and approximately one percent of the Australian population has autism . People with autism generally have difficulty relating to others and may be more ( or less ) sensitive to sights , sounds , smells and tastes than others .

No one knows for certain what causes autism . Genetic and environmental factors are being researched , and there is no scientific evidence that vaccines cause autism .

There is no ‘’ cure ‘’ for Autism , although there are many treatments and therapies available tom assist people with autism to reach their full potential . ( Published with the kind permission of Winthrop Professor Andrew Whitehouse , Telethon Kids Institute in Perth Western Australia )

The Rotary Club of Scarborough has been working closely with Professor Andrew Whitehouse to create a greater awareness of autism in the community by holding an annual Autism Awareness Day function which seeks to bring together the research , scientific and medical specialists and those families living with autism , in a forum designed to assist families and give a greater understanding of autism .

This yearly program has been running since 2014 ; it has been held at Ascot Racecourse Function Room in Ascot and has covered such diverse topics as … ‘’ Making a Difference ‘’, ‘’ Finding a place in Society ‘’, ‘’ Planning for a Happy Life ‘’ , ‘’ Listening to the Autistic Voice ‘’ , ‘’ How can we continue to move the WA Autism Community Forward ‘’ , Working Together to Fufill Potential ‘’ , and in 2018 , the theme was ‘’ Local Research , World Impact ‘’ . The feedback from participants has been excellent and many of those families living with autism have attended year after year .

In addition to working closely with Professor Andrew Whitehouse on these annual Autism Awareness Day functions , The Rotary Club of Scarborough has assisted in the funding of the WA Autism Register , a world renowned piece of infrastructure set up by Professor Andrew Whitehouse at Telethon Kids Institute here in Western Australia . This WA Autism Register is known all over the world as a very powerful tool for understanding both the prevalence and the patterns of diagnoses across time .

The 2018 Function was held on Tuesday , 8th May at Ascot , and was well attended by both families living with Autism , specialist Clinicians , and over twenty Service Providers .

Professor Andrew Whitehouse spoke at length about the newly created WA Autism Register and it’s impact on the ASD community in WA , Australia and around the world . This Register , designed and developed at Telethon Kids Institute here in Perth is the only Register of its type anywhere in the world and will assist greatly in the ongoing , global diagnoses of ASD .

Other speakers included a young person , living with Autism who detailed her progress through the Curtin University Specialist Mentoring Program , to her achievement in gaining tertiary qualifications in Astrophysics . As well , a speaker from ‘’ Child Development Service – WA Health and Curtin University ‘’, spoke about ‘’ The Power of Playgroups ‘’.

A shared morning tea was held whilst attendees spoke with the various service providers .

The various photos show Professor Andrew Whitehouse , Rotary Club of Scarborough people , some of the service providers and the many attendees .